All through the year we members of the Club work hard with a never ending quest to improve our knowlege of wines and also to enjoy new wines. At this year end meeting the emphasis changes, here we want to enjoy some good wines, of course, in good company, naturally, and maybe stretch our collective minds by tackling some brain teasers.
The evening is a great example of the self-help attitude that the members of the club relish. All the foods are brought along, amazingly without much planning other than the general guide, please bring 'finger foods'. Amazingly we end up with a great selection of foods and all of a high, high standard.
Then there are the wines, and here we did a sneaky thing, we put all the wines into carafes and asked the question, what are we drinking, answers please made into scrabble words and yes you only have the tiles needed, no spares and yes you need to use all those tiles.
Lots of head scratching and hard work resulted in everyone, or every table resolving the question, What is it?
All very impressive and challenging, and for this we must thank Chris who put in a lot of work , thought and effort in making this work so well.
But what were the wines? We wanted to have wine that was in some way special and that was suitable to go with a wide range of foods. This is what we had::
The 'Fizz" was the Cremant du Jura, a Chardonnay fizz from that area of France, all agreed that this was a fine choice and a very good wine, all the more so given its modest price at under £8.00 per bottle. Oh yes and nice bottle as well! (Available from Aldi £7.29)
The white wine was another popular wine and a steal at the price, a wine not commonly known and often talked down but one that suited the evening well. Light yet with some fruit. This was from the Sainsbury's Taste the Difference Range, Verdicchio.. Normally available at £7.00 but currently on offer at £6.00.
For the Reds we bought via Majestic Wines, following a wine tasting at the Witney branch we sought something that was slightly 'off piste' but with a strong character. The Emilo Moro hit the spot and how. A succulent and rich red, made with the Tempranillo grape, subtle tannins and bags of black fruit. Highly recommended. (Majestic @ £16.99)
We added a 'stickie' to the list of wines and ours was the De Bortilli Botrytis Semillon 2013. How was it, as ever, some loved it to bits, others, were more muted and no thank you. But that is how it is with such wines, those that love them love the depth flavour and the luscious taste, this one was not quite up there in terms of quality, maybe a 6 out of ten type wine. (£10.00 per half bottle - Majestic Wine Warehouse)
The Usual Suspects
A resume of the coming years programme was shared, this will kick off in January with the very able and knowledgeable wine expert, Toby Chiles, the date of the meeting is JANUARY 27. All the other dates and full programme will follow when confirmed.
In the meantime a few shots of the evening:
Wonderful evening had by us. Great tipples and delectable nibbles to share with friends. Thanks Bruce and Chris!
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